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WHEN we stop to consider, is it not 
strange that, in a country whose peo- 
ple are the most enterprising of any on the 
face of the globe, the growth of interest in 
art as apphed to house painting has been 
so slow ? Fashion rules in many ways, and 
now that she dictates important changes in 
house painting, let her be guided by correct 
principles. 

The old and young of all conditions are 
more or less familiar with customs of dress, 
carriage and general demeanor ; but is it 
not surprising that so few know anything 
at all about the art of painting and decor- 
ating — the proper cblors to use, or the 
means to employ to make their homes at- 
tractive and beautiful ? It is our purpose 
to give some general instructions upon this 
important phase of art, which we trust 
will assist in correcting present errors, sug- 
gesting new ideas an4 stimulating all to a 
careful study of this important subject. 



Copyright, i$8^, by Sh^r^'in, WUlmms *• Co, 



^^kxiov* 



* ' What shall I do with the outside of my 
house ? " is a question often asked by those 
who wish to paint. Every one ought to 
know what colors harmonize perfectly, 
either by sympathy or contrast, before at- 
tempting to express an intelligent opinion 
of the proper combination of colors to use 
on the outside of a house. 

In exterior decoration, the surroundings 
should be taken into consideration, and the 
building treated in such a way as to har- 
monize as nearly as possible with them; 
especially should this be the case in 
suburban residences, as there is nothing 
that so effectually destroys the beauty of a 
landscape as to see a house painted in 
colors that are in discord with objects about 
it. In fact, few houses are painted as they 
should be. Only two shades of color are 
generally used — one for the body or main 
part of the building, the other, usually a 
darker shade, for both high-lights and 
shadows. Occasionally sl house is painted 



with three colors, but invariably the dark- 
est is used on the lightest and most prom- 
inent parts of the building, instead of being 
used on the shaded parts as it should be. 
This destroys, to a great extent, the archi- 
tectural beauty of the structure. The 
appearance of color depends largely on 
gradation. A building painted of one 
uniform color appears hard and disagree- 
able, when the same color, if gently varied 
in shades, becomes pleasing to the eye as 
well as true to nature. Gradation of color 
is almost universal in nature, and some 
knowledge of color and color law should 
constitute a portion of our education. The 
uneducated eye feels the effect of gradation 
in nature and painting, but is unable to 
trace the delicate play of light and shade 
on which it depends. 



FRAME BUILDINGS. 

PRIMING. 

The first, or priming coat, bears an im- 
portant relation to the durability of paints. 
If a paint is to do good service, it must 
not only be composed of suitable materials, 
but must be so applied as to assimilate with 



the surface on which it is spread. Good 
paint is largely composed of oil, and as oil 
and water, under ordinary circumstances, 
have no affinity for each other, paint 
cannot take hold of a damp surface and form 
a durable coating, and although this fact 
has been so often expressed, yet dampness 
is so insiduous that its effects are giving 
trouble every year, sometimes where not 
one in a hundred would believe that 
moisture existed. New, unseasoned lum- 
ber, parts of surfaces on buildings where 
the sun and air have not done their good 
work, or undried under-coats of paint, will 
not only cause paint to come off in some 
way, but the same surface will be similarly 
affected soon after. We see by these facts 
the importance of having the first coat 
right. Where dampness is suspected, and 
no way can be devised for drying, a good 
coat of shellac varnish will usually prevent 
the moisture from working out through 
the paint. 



PAINTING. 

No building should be painted with less 
than three shades of color. First, the body 
color or main part of the house should be 
determined upon — take shade '*K" as an 



example.* Then all prominent parts, 
known as high-lights, such as crown mold- 
ings, face of brackets, face of window and 
door frames, etc., should be painted a 
lighter color — shade **J" (354). All the 
shadows, such as bed of cornice, sides 
of brackets, inside of window and door 
frames, should be painted a darker color 
than the body — shade "W" (371). For 
window blinds, use some good contrasting 
color— shades "R" (372), '*N" (368) or 
*'S" (366), are often used — or, the blinds 
can be painted the same color as the body 
of the house. For the steps, use two 
colors, one for the rises, same color as 
the shadows, or darkest color on main 
part of the building ; and for the treads, a 
contrasting color that will the least show 
dirt— shade **C" (356). If there is a 
porch to the house, paint the floor same 
as treads to steps — shade *'C" (356), 
and paint the ceiling a gray shade — shade 
'* D" (357). If a sky blue is desirable, a 
slight addition of ultramarine blue to shade 
** F " (359), will produce it sufficiently near 

■^ The shades here indicated by letter and num- 
ber are taken from the colors of the Sherwin- 
Williams Paints, samples of which can be obtained 
from responsible paint dealers throughout the coun- 
try, or by application to the manufacturers. See 
last page of this pamphlet. 



to be appropriate. A house painted in 
this way, provided these colors harmonize 
with surrounding objects, will be a correct 
combination and pleasing to the eye. 

For another example, take a house 
within a few feet of a brick building : — 
Paint the body or main part with shade 
**N'' (368); for high-lights use shade *'R" 
(372), and for shadows use *'P" (369). 
These colors on a house in juxtaposition 
with a brick house make a very good 
combination; also will look well standing 
alone, and will harmonize with more colors 
than any other. 

Another very fine combination for a 
house built in the Queen Anne or Swiss 
cottage style, on a large lot surrounded by 
plenty of trees and shrubbery, with a good 
stretch of well-kept lawn in front, is shade 
**S" (366) for the body, and trimmed with 
two shades, viz : '' R" (372) for high-lights; 
**N" (s6S) for shadows; sash black. 
Houses of this description generally have 
slate roofs. But if the roof is shingled, 
paint it with shade " M " (367). 

BRICK HOUSES, 

Most persons who ha\'e not studied the 
subject, think that painting is done only to 
please the eye or to suit tlie fanciful whim 



T 



of people who have money to beautify 
their houses. But such a view of the sub- 
ject will be found to be erroneous, for 
paint is a necessity on brick houses as well 
as on wood, from the very nature of the 
jTiaterials used ; in fact, a brick house needs 
more paint outside than does one built of 
wood, on account of the absorption of ex- 
ternal damp. The use of paint will save 
many times more than its cost in doctors' 
bills alone. Don't spare it, either outside 
or inside of the houses in which you live, 
whether they be brick, stone or wood ; for 
besides beautifying your houses, it saves 
the lives and gives the greatest blessings to 
those you love and cherish. 

Brick houses are very appropriately 
painted red (shade ''M" [367]) and pen- 
ciled with some dark color. The general 
way of painting a brick house is to paint 
it red and pencil the seams with white 
paint, which is a mistake, as the white 
paint in the seams gives the house a very 
flat and cheap appearance. If seams are 
to be penciled light color, use shade <'F'* 
(359)) 3^s it is nearer the color of the mor- 
tar used in the seams than white ; but black 
is the best color, as it gives the building a 
much richer and more substantial appear- 
ance. Woodwork on the outside of brick 
buildings, such as door and window frames, 



have generally been painted stone color. 
A much better way is to paint the wood 
work a good contrasting color, like shade 
"W"(37i). 

Almost all brick buildings are finished 
with stone caps and sills ; but window and 
door frames, never being made of stone, 
should not be painted to represent it. The 
only part of a brick building that should 
be painted a stone color, is the cornice, 
because it frequently is, and always should 
be, made of stone. If the cornice is made 
of brick, always paint it the same color as 
the body or main part of the building. All 
iron work, such as crestings, railings and 
brackets of balconies, should invariably be 
painted some dark color, such as black, 
bronze green or vandyke brown. Sash 
also should be painted very dark. Black 
or bronze green are good colors for general 
work. For olive combinations, a dark 
rich wine color is good for sash. Vandyke 
brown is the best general color for sash, as 
it is a warm color, besides being dark, and 
it harmonizes perfectly with all warm 
colors. 



T 



WOOD AND METAL ROOFS. 

It is said ''custom makes law," and 
we venture to say few laws on our statute 
books are so strictly observed as the 
custom of leaving shingle roofs unpainted. 
We also venture to say, that if property 
owners would give this subject the attention 
it deserves, we should soon see a great 
change, and instead of seeing less than one 
roof in a hundred painted, we would see all 
large roofs as carefully painted as any other 
exposed parts of buildings. Does it not look 
reasonable that if paint is a preservative, 
it is of as much use when applied to the 
most exposed parts as to the least ? Shin- 
gles not only last enough longer to repay 
the painting, but painting the roof of a 
house gives a fine opportunity to get a good " 
color effect and completes the picture. ' Of 
course a roof should not be painted a light 
color, but some dark color that will 
strongly contrast Avith the paint on the 
main part of the building. If a house is 
painted with ''R" (372), ''W* (371), 
«*P" (369) or ''N" (368), use ''M" (367) 
or ' ' S" (366) for roofs, or vice versa. More 
than one color can be used on a roof if 
desired; some very good imitations of slate 



II 



roofs have been obtained by the use of two 
or more colors. "A word to the wise is 
sufficient" — Paint your roofs. 



OUTSIDE DOORS. 

Where the outside doors are to be 
painted, use some dark or contrasting color 
that will harmonize with the color of the 
house, or a very good effect is obtained by 
painting with the same colors used on the 
house — the dark color for the panels and 
the medium or body color of the house 
for the -stiles. A great many outside doors 
are still grained in imitation of natural 
woods, which is a very great detriment to 
the advancement of artistic exteriors, be- 
cause, in the first place, it is in very poor 
taste, and is an imitation and deception, 
and all imitations are bad; in the next 
place, it gives rise to more bad feeling and 
dissatisfaction than any other work per- 
formed, for it is almost impossible to find a 
door that has been grained that will stand 
the sun and weather without blistering 
and cracking. The graining color comes 
off in round spots, exposing the light color 
underneath, producing a very unsightly 
appearance. When a door becomes spotted 
in this way the thing generally thought of 



is to remove the old graining and finish as 
before, which is very unsatisfactory and 
expensive to the owner, as it will blister 
and come off again. Never varnish a 
door that has been painted, as it is sure to 
lead you into trouble by cracking, blister- 
ing or causing the paint to peel off. If 
your door is hard wood, first fill the grain 
of the wood thoroughly with the Sherwin- 
Williams Filler, and then finish in oil or 
varnish as desired. (The scope of this 
pamphlet will not admit of our going into 
details on this part of subject, but any 
information desired can be obtained from 
the publishers.) 



13 



'Jnitviou 



PARLORS AND OTHER ROOMS. 

For many years it has been the custom 
to use nothing on the woodwork of inte- 
riors but plain, glossy, white paint, or 
graining in imitation of woods, both of 
which are very bad in many instances: 
white, because it is hard and cold in ap- 
pearance, and can rarely be made to har 
monize with surrounding objects ; graining, 
because it is an imitation of the genuine in 
many houses, and is frequently a very poor 
imitation. In painting a room, the wood- 
work, should be in colors which will har- 
monize with the wall decorations, either 
matching the colors on the walls or using 
some contrasting color that will harmonize 
nicely. In painting in contrasting colors, 
the hangings, furniture and carpets, as 
well as the walls and ceiling, must be taken 
into consideration. If you are not positive 
which are the right colors to contrast nicely 
with other portions of the room and make 
a perfect harmony, we advise using colors 
similar to those employed in the wall 



14 



decoration. Paint the inside of windows 
or that part of the frame nearest the sash, 
Hght color ; the sash and the fiat part, or 
face of the frame, dark color. If the 
frame is cased with a molding on the 
edge next the wall, paint it the light color, 
as the gradation of color between the dark 
on the frame and the general color of the 
wall is more pleasing to the eye and is not 
as strong a contrast as a dark color will 
make. Paint the base dark, and the 
molding at the top of the base light color, 
the panels of the doors dark and the stiles 
light. We have noticed that in many 
instances the, panels are painted light and 
the stiles dark, which is entirely wrong, as 
the stile is the most prominent part of the 
door, and of necessity must receive the 
most light. But as most of the woodwork 
now in use is perfectly flat, with the ex- 
ception of grooves or beads run in them, 
we would advise the use of three colors. 
Paint high-lights light color, shadows 
dark, and in grooves or on beads, use a 
contrasting color, or one that will harmon- 
ize well, and at the same time make the 
woodwork look brighter, always being 
careful to use a receding color in the 
grooves and an advancing or stationary 
color on the beads. Black has been fre- 
quently used in parlors, and with a litde 



15 



gold leaf it makes a very good color for a 
room furnished with a variety of furniture 
of different colors, as it will harmonize to 
some extent with all colors. Although 
artists prefer not to use black unless abso- 
lutely necessary, yet it often makes a very 
fine looking room, but should be used 
nowhere except in a parlor. Sitting rooms 
look well in olives and olive browns. 
Dining rooms look best in warm olives and 
browns, red on beads or lines of same 
color. Chambers should be done in 
lighter colors generally than ordinary living 
rooms. Blue rooms are generally painted 
blue, with the beads of the same color 
darkened somewhat. Blue woodwork is 
bad enough in light tints, without making 
it worse by darkening the beads. If the 
work must be blue, make the beads a warm 
gray and the room will look a hundred per 
cent, better. Halls, where the walls have 
been painted or papered in dark colors, 
paint the woodwork with some strong con- 
trasting color. In rooms or halls where 
the woodwork is painted and the decora- 
tion of the walls is to be changed, by all 
means change the color of the woodwork, 
as that is an important item. When the 
walls look well enough, and you would 
like to have a different appearance given to 
your room without much expense, change 



i6 



the color of the woodwork. If it has 
been painted to match the walls, try con- 
trasting colors and you will be agreeably 
surprised at the difference a little paint, 
judiciously applied, will make. 

FLOOR PAINTING AND FINISHING. 

A few years ago, people thought the 
most important part of an interior decora 
tion was the part that cost the most money. 
For instance, they would buy a very costly 
carpet and make it the key to the entire 
decoration, whereas it is the most inferior 
part. Anything in the way of a floor cov- 
ering will do, provided it is dark enough. 
Color being the principal element in decora- 
tion, it stands to reason that the walls, 
ceiling and woodwork ought to be com- 
pleted before purchasing anything in the 
way of carpets or furniture, unless there 
is a particular suit of furniture that cannot 
be dispensed with, then, of course, decor- 
ate walls to harmonize with the furniture ; 
but where the floor is to be covered with a 
new carpet, never purchase it until the 
walls and ceiling are decided upon. 

Prior to the new era in domestic art, say 
before 1876, it was only in the back kitch- 
ens or cheapest cottages that floors were 
painted, and then it was usually done with 



17 



yellow ochre, which, by the way, is not a 
bad paint. But nowadays, when carpets 
give place to rugs and bare floors, the ap- 
pearance of the floor is an important con- 
sideration. A paint to be walked on, and 
otherwise injured and often washed, should 
be of the very best quality. It should 
contain much oil so as to be elastic. It 
should contain a superior hardening and 
binding dryer, a good body, drying with a 
little gloss. Give each coat plenty of time 
(several days) to dry, and after the last 
coat is dry enough to step on without tack- ' 
ing, wash it frequently with plenty of cold 
water, which helps to harden the paint. 
After a few weeks, on a porch or open 
room, and somewhat longer on an enclosed 
room, this paint gets hard and becomes 
much like a coating of metal. For an 
artistic floor, we recommend a center of 
shade "H" (353), with a border two to 
three feet wide of ** P" (369). '' B" (352) 
and "C" (356) are good colors, but the 
first is rather too light. *'H" (353), 
"W" (371), -M"(367) and ^S" (366) 
are suitable and much used. When the 
room is not too small, two contrasting 
colors should be used, the border any 
width to suit. Should you desire to car- 
pet, by all means leave a margin all around, 
either to be finished in natural color of the 



i8 



wood or painted or stained in some ap- 
propriatc color. If the floor is of hard 
WOOD, first fill the grain thoroughly with 
the Sherwin-WilHams Filler, then finish 
with two or three coats of shellac. 

STOCK TO BUY. AND THE PROPER 
PERSONS TO PUT IT ON. 

The products of the most reliable man- 
ufacturers are at times complained of; but, 
careful investigation usually shows it to be 
a fault in applying the paint, and not ot 
the stock used ; therefore we advise you to 
buy only the very best materials, such as 
that manufactured by Messrs. Sherwin, 
Williams & Co., and secure the servicer 
of the most skillful workmen at your com- 
mand. A slight addition in cost of the 
best materials, and the price paid the 
most skilled labor, always proves a true 
ECONOMY in the end, both as to beauty " 
and durability. 

IN CONCLUSJON. 

We are living in an age of great pro- 
gress. Especially is this true in regard to 
art. The pubHc generally are becoming 
more enlightened and the different branches 
of art are rapidly assuming their proper 



19 



places. Then let us not be behind in the 
art of painting and decorating our homes. 
The undersigned have given particular 
attention to the study of art in its appHca- 
tion to decoration, and have embodied in 
a pamphlet, which contains samples of the 
Sherwin-Williams Paints, a large amount 
of valuable information respecting quality 
and quantity of paint to use, methods of 
application, etc., which can be had of any 
reputable dealer in paints, or upon appli- 
cation to the manufacturers. We supply 
dealers only with this line of our products, 
and if they are not on sale in your vicinity, 
kindly inform us of the fact, and we will 
arrange to supply your wants. 

Sherwjn, Williams ^ Co. 

Manufacturers Finest PaitUs b* Colors, 

ioo Canal Street, JJJ Randolph Street, 

CLSVELANO. CHICAGO, 



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